Electrotherapeutic device



Nov. 25; 1947.

L. VECCHIO ET AL ELECTROTHERAPEUTIC DEVICE Fild June 28, 1944 Patented Nov. 25, 1947 ELECTROTHERAPEUTIC DEVICE Luigi Vecchio and Howard E. Young,

Syracuse, N. Y.

Application June 28, 1944, Serial No. 542,533

This invention relates to an electro therapeutic device in the nature of a pad which may be applied to the patient and which contains a heating element and a vibrating element, the latter being connected toa device which is operable to cause the same to vibrate with considerable magnitude, the rate ofvibration or the pulsations being varied to suit the condition required for the treatment of the patient.

The drawing is a schematic wiring diagram of the circuit employed in the pad and the control device.

The pad consists of an envelope or bag H] of fabric or other suitable material, and a heating element, arranged in the envelope. The pad further includes a vibrating element consisting of a plurality of concentrically arranged coils l2 each containing a plurality of turns of wire, preferably aluminum or copper wire. The coils l2 are so arranged that they vibrate in response to a pulsating current connected thereto.

The purpose of the vibrating element I2 is to effect a substantial vibration of, or within, the pad which has been found to assist materially in the treatment of certain ailments, particularly nervous disorders, rheumatism, arthritis, and the like. That is, the pad, simultaneously with the desired application of heat, effects a slight massaging of the part being treated, which tends to stimulate the circulation of the blood and reacts favorably with the nervous system of the patient.

The vibrating element I2 is supplied with a pulsating current produced by a power supply unit which consists of one or more vacuum tubes |5 of the three electrode type, including a cathode element It, a plate element I1, and a grid element It. In the tubes illustrated, the cathodes l6 are heated by filaments 2!] connected to a secondary coil 2| of a transformer 22, the primary coil 23 of which is connected to the conventional house circuit indicated by the conductors 24, 25, this connection being effected through a double pole switch 26, one blade of which is connected to a wire 21 extending to one side of the coil 23, and the other blade of the switch being connected through a wire 28, switch 29, wire 30, to the opposite side of the coil 23. The filaments 2|! are connected to the coil 2| through wires 32, 33.

The plates H are connected together by wire 36 and to the contact 31 of a receptacle 38, through wire 40. The cathodes l6 are connected to one side of the secondary 4| of the transformer 42 through wire 43. The opposite side of the coil 4| is connected to wire 45 through switch 46 which is movable into engagement with any 2 Claims. (Cl. 128'24=;1)

2 selected one of a plurality of taps Al The wire 45 is connected to contact 48 of the receptacle 38.

The current of the output circuit 40, 45 is caused to pulsate by a control unit hereinafter described and which includes means adjustable to control the frequency of the pulsations in the output circuit.

A grid bias circuit is provided for the grids I8 and consists of a wire 59 connected thereto through a resistance 5|. The wire 50 is connected to terminal 52. of a potentiometer 54, the movable contact of which is connected to the negative pole of a battery 55, the opposite side of the battery being connected to wire 43, through wire 51. The contact 55, with the potentiometer, is adjusted to effect a negative potential on the grids I8 and when this situation exists no current flows through the tubes I5 from the cathodes It to the plates H, as will be well understood.

The fixed terminals 52, 6|, 0f the potentiometer M, are connected to the secondary 62 of a transformer 53 through wires 64, 65. The primary 65 of the transformer is connected in a pulsating current circuit in series with a discharge device 51. This circuit is supplied through a secondary coil 68 of the transformer 22. The ends of the coil 68 are connected respectively to the plates iii of a rectifying tube ll through wires 12, 1'5. Wire 14 is connected to the central tap of the coil 68 and to one side of the coil 66 of transformer 63. The filaments 15 of rectifier H are connected to a secondary coil 16 of transformer 22, through wires ll, 13, and one side of the discharge device 51, which is here illustrated in the nature of a neon tube, is connected to the filament circuit referred to through wire 19, and the opposite side of the tube is connected to the opposite side of the coil 66, through wire 80, condenser'tl, and wire 82. The discharge device 61 is shunted by one or more condensers 83, 84, and 86, like sides of said condensers being connected to the wire 80, through wire 81. The opposite sides of the condensers are connected to contacts 88, 89, and 9|, which are engaged by a movable contact 92 connected to wire 19 through wire 93.

The leads95, 96, of the vibrating unit l2 of the pad are connected to the contacts 51, 48 of receptacle 38. This receptacle is also provided with contacts 91, 98, which are connected to wires 89, Hit, and which are, in turn, connected to the feed wires 2%, 25, through double pole switch NH. The power unit and the control unit nected to the cord from the pad ID, the plug and receptacle being of the conventional polarized type, whereby the prongs of the plug cooperate only with selected ones of the contacts of the receptacle.

With this arrangement, current is furnished to the vibrating element [2 through the tubes [5 and, with the grids l8 thereof biased negatively, there is no flow of current to the vibrating element. However, the selected one of the con densers 83, 84, 85, 86, is being charged by the circuit feed through the rectifying tube H.

It will be observed that these condensers are connected in series with the condenser 8| which preferably is of the electrolytic type and which is so connected in the circuit that it serves as a leak to slowly charge condensers 8386. The condensers 83, 84, 85 and 86 are each of different capacity and accordingly, each requires a different length of time to become charged to line voltage, or to a voltage sufficient to effect discharge through the discharge device 61. Upon this discharge, a current surge is caused to flow through the primary 86 of transformer 63 and accordingly, a current is induced in the secondary coil 62. The arrangement of the connections are such that the current induced in the coil 62 effects a positive potential on wire 50 and accordingly upon the grids l8, whereupon the tubes l5 pass current to the vibrating element 12.

There may be any number of condensers 83-438 and of varying capacity, so that the frequency of periods during which the tubes l5 pass current may be varied to suit the particular application. Also, the duration of these periods may be controlled by the setting of the movable contact 55 of the potentiometer 54 inasmuch as in the circuit described the potentiometer serves as a leak for the induced current from transformer coil 62.

A visual indicator may be connected in the power output circuit 40, 45, such as a neon tube III) to visibly indicate the frequency at which the vibrating unit is vibrating.

What we claim is:

1. A therapeutic device comprising a pad adapted to be applied to the body of a patient, said pad including a heating element and a vibratin element comprising a plurality of loosely arranged coils capable of vibrating in synchromism to the frequency of a pulsating current supplied to said coils, a power circuit, a power unit having an output circuit connected to the coils of said vibrating element, and said power unit including control means operable to cause said power unit to produce a pulsating current in said output circuit, said control means being adjustable to vary the frequency of said pulsations, and switch means for selectively connecting said heating unit and said power unit to the power circuit.

2. A therapeutic device comprising a pad adapted to be applied to the body of a patient, said pad including a heating element and a vibrating element comprising a plurality of loosely arranged coils capable of vibrating in response to a pulsating current, a power circuit, a power unit having an output circuit connected to the coils of said vibrating element, a vacuum tube having the plate thereof connected to said output circuit, a grid bias for said tube to restrain the passage of current through the tube to said output circuit, a transformer, the secondary winding of said transformer being connected to said grid bias, the primary winding of said transformer being connected in series with a discharge device, a plurality of condensers connected in shunt with said discharge device, and means operable to selectively charge any one of said condensers, said discharge device being operable to discharge said selected condenser when the charge thereof has reached a predetermined value, said transformer being operable upon said discharge to negative said bias of the vacuum tube, all whereby a pulsating current is produced in said output circuit, and means for selectively connecting said heating element and said power unit to said power circuit.

LUIGI VECCHIO. HOWARD E. YOUNG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 796,533 Rayner Aug, 8, 1905 840,868 Richardson Jan. 8, 1907 1,158,834 Parker Nov. 2, 1915 1,206,784 Euker Nov. 28, 1916 1,234,700 McLain July 24, 1917 1,628,272 Reitz May 10, 1927 1,643,399 Wentworth Sept. 27, 1927 1,680,086 Carlson Aug. 7, 1928 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 412,518 France July 15, 1900 

